September events at Wofford

Exhibitions, speakers, performances scheduled

Tobias Wolff, author of "Old School," will be the speaker at The Novel Experience Convocation at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 20. First-year students read the novel during the summer and will discuss it among their Humanities Sections at local restaurants on Tuesday, Sept. 4.

2012-08-30

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – September will be filled with gallery exhibitions, special speakers and performances at Wofford College. The college has announced the following events.

All events are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted. Please check our online calendar for frequent updates and additions at www.wofford.edu/calendar; for information, contact Laura Corbin at laura.corbin@wofford.edu or 864-597-4180.

Throughout the 2012-13 academic year, Wofford will join the current national conversation about the crucial role of the liberal arts in American higher education. The college will host a variety of public lectures, symposia, conversation circles and other in-person and “virtual” initiatives that will explore a series of overlapping questions: What are the liberal arts? What is their place in American higher education? Why do they shape our institution? What is their future?

Related Links

Events in this listing that are part of this initiative are indicated by the tagline “A “Re:Thinking Education” Event.

158th Opening Convocation Speaker: President Benjamin B. Dunlap Thursday, Sept. 6 – 11 a.m. Leonard Auditorium, Main Building A “Re:Thinking Education” Event Opening Convocation is the first official gathering of the academic year. Faculty will process in full regalia, and President Benjamin B. Dunlap, who announced his retirement at the end of the academic year, will give the address.

Foothills Civil War Roundtable: “Queen of the Lost: The Story of Lucy Holcombe Pickens” Speaker: Emily Cooper Monday, Sept. 17 – 6-8 p.m. Dinner: 6:30-7:15 p.m. Program: 7:15-8 p.m. Montgomery Room, Burwell BuildingSeventy years after Lucy Holcombe Pickens’ death, newspaper editor Emily Cooper was as captivated as the people Pickens enchanted when she was alive. Edgefield, the small South Carolina town where Pickens lived, has lessons to teach her and Cooper about racial prejudice. Readers can follow as Cooper traces Pickens’ life and compares it to modern sensibilities. They also can read (in astonishment) about the heroine who didn’t let customs dictate her behavior. Impetuous and headstrong, she would live a tumultuous life of Southern gentility and wrenching violence.

Cooper, a seasoned public speaker, recently retired as editor of the S.C. United Methodist Advocate. In 2009, she received the Pickens-Salley Southern Woman of Distinction Award at the University of South Carolina Aiken’s Symposium on Southern Women. Her first book, Eulalie, is a biography of Eulalie Salley, suffragette, grand raconteur and one of the first women in real estate. She was a strong woman in many ways, including managing the board-by-board move of Edgewood, Lucy and Francis Pickens’ home in Edgefield, S.C., 17 miles to Aiken. It was during 1971-72 interviews with Salley that Cooper first heard some of the legends about Lucy Pickens. Several years later, when Cooper moved to the fascinating town of Edgefield to publish her own newspaper, she pursued the stories – and facts – of Lucy Pickens. Her research continued off and on until she made the story a serious project in 2002.

Cost of dinner and the program is $23; program only, $5. RSVP to Juanita Pesaro at pesarojb@wofford.edu or 864-597-4207.

World Film Series: “Monsieur Lazhar” Wednesday, Sept. 19 – 3:30 & 7:30 p.m. Olin Teaching Theater, Franklin W. Olin BuildingDirector: Philippe Falardeau Canada, 2012; 94 mins. In French, Arabic (English subtitles) and English Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Monsieur Lazhar tells the poignant story of a Montreal middle school class shaken by the death of their well-liked teacher. Bachir Lazhar (Fellag), a 55-year-old Algerian immigrant, offers the school his services as a substitute teacher and is quickly hired. As he helps the children heal, he also learns to accept his own painful past. This moving film features exquisite performances by Fellag and a stunning ensemble of child actors. – Adapted from www.musicboxfilms.com

Constitution Day Observance “Reforming Congress: A Constitutional Perspective” Speaker: David K. Nichols, Baylor University Wednesday, Sept. 19 – 4 p.m. Leonard Auditorium, Main BuildingDavid K. Nichols is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at Baylor University and is a senior fellow of the Alexander Hamilton Institute for the study of Western Civilization. He is the author of The Myth of Modern Presidency as well as numerous articles on American politics, constitutional law and politics and literature. He is completing a book on responsible government and the separation of powers.

The Novel Experience Convocation Speaker: Tobias Wolff, author of “Old School” Thursday, Sept. 20 – 11 a.m. Leonard Auditorium, Main Building A “Re:Thinking Education” EventTobias Wolff, author of “Old School,” will address the first-year class and other readers as part of Wofford’s Novel Experience, one of the highlights of orientation for new students. Students read a novel throughout the summer and discuss the book at a Spartanburg restaurant during the first week of classes. The book is the basis of the first essay written in their humanities classes, from which the top essays are published and distributed at convocation. The convocation features the author who discusses the book with the students. Wolff also will speak that evening at the Spartanburg County Public Libraries Headquarters, hosted by the Friends of the Library.

Troubadour Concert Series Fall Guitar Fest: Ron McFarlane with Mindy Rosenfeld Thursday, Sept. 20 – 7 p.m. Leonard Auditorium, Main BuildingMindy Rosenfeld and Ronn McFarlane have been musical colleagues since 1979 as founding members of the Baltimore Consort. Their work as a duo is included on the Grammy-nominated Indigo Road (Ronn McFarlane); One Morning (Ronn McFarlane & Ayreheart); The Baltimore Consort Live in Concert; and Gut, Wind and Wire (The Baltimore Consort). In concert, they offer a wide variety of Renaissance, Baroque, Celtic and original music for flute and lute.

Faculty Talk “Symmetry: How the Mathematics of Beauty Illuminates the Beauty of Mathematics” Speaker: Dr. Matthew Cathey, Mathematics Thursday, Sept. 27 – 4 p.m. Burwell Building A “Re:Thinking Education” EventThis talk will give an accessible (no, really!) introduction to the mathematics of symmetry, whose applications in the worlds of geometry and art opened the door to one of the greatest triumphs of 19th century mathematics. No specialized knowledge or background will be assumed.

Pray For Japan – Film and Lecture Speakers: Dr. Masumi Nakashimna and other visiting professors from Fukushima College Thursday, Sept. 27 – 6:30 p.m. McMillan Theater, Campus Life BuildingPray for Japan director Stu Levy created this feature-length documentary film after volunteering in Tohoku, Japan, after the earthquake and tsunami tragedy. He shot 40 hours of footage over five weeks in Tohoku, interviewing more than 30 people, from victims to volunteers. “The goal of the film is to share with the world the same inspiration I felt from meeting these real-life heroes,” Levy says. “No matter how difficult, how insurmountable was the challenge they faced, these people overcame. The battle to rebuild Tohoku and Japan continues, and the world must not forget their story.” The film will be accompanied by an introductory lecture by Dr. Masumi Nakashimna and other visiting professors from Fukushima College who experienced the Japanese tsunami event.

GALLERY EXHIBITIONS:

Legacy of Ancient Caves in India: Photographs by David Efurd Sept. 3 through Oct. 28 Reception: Friday, Sept. 7 – 4-6 p.m. Martha Cloud Chapman Gallery, Campus Life BuildingIn ancient India, monastic communities lived and worked in elaborate cave complexes. Dating as early as the 3rd century B.C., caves were hewn directly into mountainous outcroppings of stone, complete with architectural ornament and embellishments, with sculptures carved into solid rock and paintings covering their interior walls. These sites were abandoned with the decline of Buddhism in India. New communities and religious orders appropriated many of these cave complexes. Furthermore, India experienced a revival of Buddhism in the 20th century, and new generations of the Buddhist faithful flock to see ancient expressions of piety carved directly into the living rock. David Efurd, assistant professor of art history at Wofford, spent a year in India on a Fulbright-Hays Fellowship documenting and photographing ancient cave sites. He has returned to India several times to continue his research, often with camera in hand. Recently, he served as research fellow at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, on a project related to archaeology in the British Empire. This exhibition of photographs highlights how these ancient cave complexes negotiate the contemporary world and continue to serve diverse populations.

Film Art from Behind the Iron Curtain Sept. 3 through Oct. 28 Reception/Guided Tour: Thursday, Sept. 13 – 4-6 p.m. Sandor Teszler Library GalleryThis group of film posters from Eastern Europe showcases the graphic design and aesthetic of the culture of that region. Often, Western films and the American designs of the posters used to advertise and interpret the films undergo remarkable transformations when presented to their European audiences. The posters are on loan from the collection of Dr. Matthew Johnston of Spartanburg.

Photographs from Roxanna’s Farm Sept. 3 through Oct. 30 Glass Case Galleries, Roger Milliken Science CenterSince 2008, when her doctor recommended more exercise, Roxanna Martin has roamed the 70 acres her family has owned for more than 100 years adjacent to the Tyger River near Cross Anchor, S.C. On her strolls with a digital camera, she’s accumulated more than 70,000 images from all seasons and in every kind of weather. She’s used those photographs to identify more than 300 species of plants and more than 30 species of butterflies along with numerous insects and spiders. Martin has developed expertise in natural history while consulting and collaborating with field biologists and botanists. In this exhibition she shares colorful photographs of some of the most interesting life-forms from her property.